6 June 2017

Family Friendly Ego Restaurant West Bridgford Review

When you have a toddler, going out for meals as a family can be quite the task. You need to find somewhere that is family friendly, all whilst having delicious food that all the family can enjoy. We were recently invited to Ego Restuarant in West Bridgford, Nottingham, and I'm happy to say this is exactly the kind of venue you want to find as a family, somewhere so family-friendly in fact, that they fully cater to little ones and even provide something very special on Sunday's to keep all the family happy.

A Mediterranean restaurant and bar, the menu at Ego is right up my street; as a Cypriot who was brought up on the famous Mediterranean diet, there are few things I love more when it comes to food. We headed there on Sunday and as soon as we arrived, I was in love with the look and feel of the restaurant. The decor is fresh and vibrant whilst having a very relaxed atmosphere.

Open from 11am to 11:30pm, they offer lunch, dinner, drinks and snacks from a variety of Mediterranean cuisines; there's an a la carte menu on offer every day, with offers and specials through the week such as Tuesday Steak Night and Tapas Wednesdays. There's also special menus for the 'Little Egos', with menus for toddlers and a larger choice for older children, with options for two or three courses for your little ones; unlike many venues we've visited, the options on the children's menu are far more varied, with healthy options and not just your usual chicken nuggets.

On Sunday's, the Ego team work with a group of children's entertainers, who set up crafts and activities for little ones to enjoy, giving parents a chance to really relax and enjoy their meal. There are various activities such as face painting and colouring in, all in the same room and within sight of your table no matter where in the restaurant you are sat. This was really important to me as if this had been in a separate room, I'm unsure how comfortable I would have felt leaving Willow with someone we didn't know. Being able to see the entertainment table was very reassuring.

The menu has a delicious variety of cuisines and meals on offer and it's the first time in a long time that I struggled to decide what to have, as everything just sounded incredible! To start, my dad, Willow and I had Calamari Fritti; paprika floured calamari, deep fried and served with aioli and lemon, whilst my partner opted for Chorizo Frito al Vino; chorizo pan fried in red wine with garlic, rosemary and thyme, served with toasted bread. We also had a couple of nibbles to share between us; Rustic Breads with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and Nocellara and Kalamata Olives. The calamari was perfectly cooked, soft in texture and the light flour gave them a lovely fluffy coating. Of course, I couldn't resist trying the Chorizo Frito al Vino that my partner was tucking into, and I was amazed at how flavourful it was, with the wine really coming through without being too overpowering.

For my main, I couldn't resist the Iberian Belly Pork; slow roasted and honey glazed with spinach, chorizo and black pudding, thyme red wine jus and Parmentier potatoes with a side House Salad. I am a sucker for slow roasted pork and this was quite possibly the nicest one I've had yet. It was soft and succulent, real melt-in-your-mouth delicious meat that was bursting with flavour. The Parmentier potatoes were perfectly crisp on the outside, whilst soft in the centre, alongside the house salad they made a lovely accompaniment to the pork. My partner opted for Lemon Chicken Milanese; flattened breaded lemon chicken, rocket, sunblush tomato and Grana Padano with lemon caper dressing and skin on fries. The chicken was cooked to perfection and the sun blush tomato added a lovely twist. My dad decided to go for Chargrilled Kebabs; mixed Piri-Piri chicken, Moroccan lamb and chipotle steak skewered with red onion, courgette, red and yellow peppers, house salad, tzatziki, tomato salsa and tortillas, whilst Willow had Breaded Cod Goujons; breaded cod loin with french fries and peas.

When it came to checking out the dessert menu, it's safe to say we were all delightfully full and so I wanted to go for something light; the Mixed Berry and Ginger Eton Mess was the ideal choice for me. Chantilly cream mixed with crushed meringue, vanilla ice cream, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and stem ginger. It had that delightful sweetness you expect with an Eton Mess, with a quirky twang of ginger adding a refreshing flavour to it. Willow had Fresh Fruit; beautifully ripe strawberries and juicy orange, it was such a nice change to see just a simple bowl of fruit on the menu, a much healthier choice for dessert when it comes to little ones. My partner, so full from his starter and main, opted for Ice Cream; a scoop of vanilla and two scoops of strawberry, which tasted like it had just been made, using real strawberries no less! To finish off his Mediterranean themed meal, my dad opted for Sicilian Lemon Tart; lemon tart with Chantilly cream and raspberry coulis, which looks absolutely scrumptious!

To be able to go out for a proper three-course meal as a family, was a real treat. The venue itself was quite busy, and every table was home to families; children of all ages, enjoying a lovely meal out with their families and getting the chance to play and craft with the entertainment staff. Face painting seemed very popular and colouring in dragons for magical dreamcatchers, it's just so lovely to see a venue put little ones first, making families feel completely at ease and comfortable. We would definitely head back to West Bridgford for another visit to Ego, highly impressed with both the food and venue, not forgetting the exceptionally helpful staff who made our visit all the more enjoyable.

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